The Neko that Ran Away
by Zadel Skadenjev
Summary: My personal take on how the neko-ken works. Also, what happens when Akane hits Ranma when he is neko-Ranma. This is my first story, so don't expect it to be perfect, but it won't be a one-shot.
1. Where it all begins

**Where it all Begins**

"Ah! Get it off!" Ranma shouted. C-c-ca - furry demons! They're everywhere! Sharp claws and fangs ripped into Ranma, with cold lifeless eyes. Demons! "Get them away!" he shouted, but the hoard just got closer. He felt their chi affecting him, changing him into a demon as well. Then they jumped at him.

"Rwarrrr." The alpha predator woke up. One growl was enough to send those kits that were playing running away. Why would he possibly be afraid of them, he was the alpha. His claws are sharp and muscles taunt. He didn't feel the presence of any more enemies, so he just jumped from roof to roof. "After a good fight, you can always find a good place to rest," thought neko-Ranma. "Ah, I can find that girl! She always makes the best naps."

He paused on the top of a roof and sniffed the air. "Her aura is all over the place but I can't find her. Oh well, this place seems as good as any," thought neko-Ranma. "It is full of the aura of family and home. I'll just take a nap here."

Akane was brooding as she walked home alone. Her ruined wedding was three months ago, but Ranma was the same. He was still a perverted jerk and continued to tease her. "Hmm… that jerk," She huffed when she smashed him away after the last taunt. Inwardly she thought, "I thought he said he loved me? Why is he still the same jerk?" She was not in the best of moods when she came home.

When she came home, she saw Ranma sleeping on the roof. Didn't he even know that she wanted to talk to him. She had thought on her actions that day and wanted to talk to Ranma. But after seeing him just sleeping there on the roof, not even caring about how his fiance felt she started to get angry. He always ignored her and started flirting with those other girls. He always ate Ukyo's and Shampoo's food, but he ran away whenever she tried to feed him. Thinking about Ranma's actions that day, her anger aura flared and she flew off the handle.

When Akane came back, neko-Ranma woke up. That girl had come back! Just as he was about to stretch and walk over to her, neko-Ranma's danger sense went off. Jumping back he avoided the mallet that came crashing down on the roof. "Ranma you idiot!" Akane shouted as she brought her hammer down to punish the pervert.

Neko-Ranma was confused. "Why was she attacking?" thought neko-Ranma. "She didn't feel warm. She was attractive, yet repulsive. Why? Surely she wouldn't hurt him. Maybe she was fighting someone that I can't sense?" Confused, neko-Ranma decided to stay where he was.

Akane was very, very angry. Not only was Ranma being a jerk like always, when she finally gets home and is thinking about apologizing he is just sleeping! Red tinged her vision as she swung aiming to get Ranma as far away as possible. The ki-hammer connected and she used her full strength to smash Ranma away. He didn't go very high, but instead smashed into the street nearby, but she was too angry to notice.

"Hmm.. that idiot," Akane sniffled as she went into the house. Shampoo found Ranma just as angry girl shouted and saw Ranma get malleted again, but she felt that something was different this time. He would normally allow himself to be malleted far away to give angry girl time to calm down. Shampoo went to go check on Ranma. She knew that he was a great warrior, but she cared about him. As she came closer the dust finally settled revealing Ranma's figure. Shampoo mewled to check and see if he was alright.

When Shampoo look up and saw his eyes, she was shocked. Ranma was always the strongest, most amazing person. He would always somehow beat anyone all the time. He prided himself on being undefeated, so why were his eyes so dull? He was completely motionless as he lay embedded in the neighbor's wall, his eyes completely unfocused and confused. The only time she had seen anyone look like this was mother when father died. Completely defeated.

While Shampoo was staring at Ranma in shock, his thoughts were whirling around trying to understand. That girl … hurt him. On purpose. He felt his aura subtly become more human like as neko-Ranma tried to understand. He liked her. She was nice, kind, thoughtful, forgiving, cute. He thought that she liked him too. She was always nice to him. As memories surfaced, neko-Ranma face began to change. She used to be those things. Now she was rude, selfish, unfair, hurtful, angry, _uncute_. That girl was now just an angry girl. Her aura and chi, even from across the street, radiated anger and hate.

He slowly got out of the crater and went on his hands and knees. Shampoo crept closer, and mewled again to try and get Ranma's attention when she was brought grinding to a halt. Tears. Falling from Ranma's face. Tears. Ranma never cried before. "Oh no," thought Shampoo as she ran to get great-grandmother. "Ranma has never been hurt like this in the neko-ken. What is going on? Great-grandmother will know what to do."

This was his breaking point. Just like with Ryoga's technique, he crumpled to pieces and exploded outward in tears. For 2 years he had been here pushed to the brink. All his friends hated him and attacked him for no reason. He never was very good with people, and he didn't really know how to change their hearts. For 2 years he stayed with the Tendo's, with Akane, and had learned to love them, like he loved Pops. They weren't the best, but they had become family. But they never saw him the same way. To Pops he was a free meal ticket. To Soun Tendo he was a retirement plan. Nabiki saw him as a cash cow, and even Mom only saw what she wanted to see. Shampoo and Ukyo saw him as a marriage certificate. And Akane. She saw him as a pervert that she was stuck with. No love. There were glimmers of hope that he had seen, but in the end she didn't really love him. He had given so much for her and had let her into his life, but she didn't love him. She never did.

"It's funny," Ranma thought with tears running down his cheeks, "I didn't think love would hurt this much." She didn't love him and never would. He was only the pervert she was being forced to marry. Ranma slowly stopped crying. Akane would never love him, but that didn't change the fact that he did love her. Or, at least he used to. "I fell in love with you," murmured Ranma as he got to his feet. "I guess I fell in love with the wrong Akane. I won't force you anymore. Goodbye Akane." Ranma, still influenced by the mentality of the neko-ken, turned and run away on all fours. The Tendo's wasn't home anymore. It was infected with her chi. The further he got, the more he became a cat as he ran away.


	2. Fallout

_**Fallout**_

Cologne was working in the Nekohaten making food for the customers, while thinking about what technique that she might teach Ranma next. Forcing him didn't work, so she would bait him slowly to their side. When Shampoo finally came back she was rather surprised. The purple cat was in hurry to grab some hot water fast. Cologne knew Shampoo wouldn't act like this without reason, so she grabbed some of the nearby hot water and splashed it over her. "So what happened this time great-granddaughter?" Cologne asked while cackling.

"Great-grandmother, is very bad! Ranma is in neko-ken!" Shampoo rapidly spoke trying to catch her breath.

"Oh ho ho ho. It's been awhile since he was in the neko-ken. That isn't something to worry about however. Akane can calm him down and bring him back," Cologne stated. "What happened?"

"Angry girl hit neko-Ranma!" Shampoo didn't know what would happen, but it wouldn't be good.

"What!" Cologne quickly searched for Ranma's aura. She couldn't find it. Normally he was easy to find with his confidence filled aura, and even in the neko-ken she could feel his feline aura. "Quickly tell me what happened!" She couldn't find Ranma's aura for some reason. She needed to find the reason before he got away.

Shampoo quickly told the story as she knew it starting earlier in the day when everyone was chasing down Ranma. When she got to the part when Akane malleted neko-Ranma, Cologne's face went pale.

Ranma was a good seed, one that she desperately wanted planted in Amazon territory. He would only make the rest of the village grow. But every good seed needs water or it would wither and die. She had taught techniques to both him and Ryouga so that he would have enough water to grow, but she had neglected the soil. Ranma put up a good front of being emotionally stable, but she could occasionally feel bursts of depression leaking out of his aura.

In the neko-ken his emotions were completely let out. One of the reasons she let him win when he went into the neko-ken was because he could feel his pure anger at the thought of being restricted. A cage would not hold him, it would only make him lash out. She did not realize that the Tendo's home had become his cage. If Akane had hit him while he was in the neko-ken he would have been forced to face his feelings toward her. The neko-ken influenced his mentality and would change his thought process. If she had hit him… neko-Ranma would run away. Just like an animal that has been kicked by the one it loves. Worse, it had broken his heart. She couldn't find his aura because he wasn't feeling anything.

Cologne started to glow red as a battle aura started to appear. "That fool," she spat out. Shampoo looked frightened as Cologne's battle aura started to rise and become filled with an angry red. "That stupid fool!" she shouted to the heavens. Because of her stupidity Akane had just forced Ranma away. And she couldn't find him. How was she supposed to grow this seed if he couldn't be found!

Shampoo had rarely seen great-grandmother this angry. Her anger had manifest into a huge battle aura that brought down pressure on anyone nearby. Luckily all the customers had left as soon as they heard Cologne starting to get mad. It had never happened before, and none of them wanted to be in the blast zone. Cologne slowly brought her aura down as she tried to think logically about what to do next.

The Tendo household didn't really change. They all thought nothing of it. Akane had just malleted Ranma away, he'd be back again for dinner. Kasumi was the only one who had felt something off. She felt the comforting auras of her family. Akane was practising martial arts, Nabiki was working on her homework, Father was playing Shogi with Genma while talking about how well Akane and Ranma were getting along, just like a married couple. It was then that she noticed it. Ranma's aura was dwindling away. She wondered what that could mean, but decided not to put too much thought into it. Ranma would be back and then he would play with Akane again. Everything would go back to normal when he came back.

It's been a month since Ranma left Nerima and it wasn't the same. Ranma was part of life and it had just been ripped out. Ryouga couldn't find him, but was still blaming him for pretty much everything as usual. The amazons were gone. Without Ranma there they had no reason to stay, so they left their shop and went out looking for him. Ukyo left as well. She packed up shop and left to go find Ranma. Kuno was happy that the foul sorcerer Saotome was finally gone so that he could have Akane and the pigtailed goddess without his interference. He was also oblivious to Akane continuously smashing him down whenever he mentioned this, but he did notice that his pigtailed goddess was missing. "Sasuke! We must find where the foul sorcerer took the pigtailed goddess! He must have forced her to come with him to do his bidding! Come quickly you buffon, we must go and save the pigtailed goddess from his evil sorcery!" After that he ran off in a random direction looking for the pigtailed goddess. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that one of the crazy Kunos left. One week later, they realized that Kuno had no intention of leaving. He went out searching, but then came back after his food supply ran out. The noble house of Kuno couldn't eat commoner's food after all.

Kasumi was sad that Ranma had left. He was such a nice boy and she didn't know why he would choose to leave them. Nabiki was trying to balance her books without Ranma helping her rake in the cash. On the plus side, the Ranma pictures she had left were selling for even more since she only had a limited stock. Akane flipped between anger and sadness when she thought about Ranma. She loved how he would come and be there. He was a pillar in her life that she never realized. He was a constant, always there for her no matter her anger. When he left, that pillar crumbled. She loved him, but then he just left.

Soun and Genma went out looking for Ranma everyday, but come back with nothing and played shogi while grumbling about Ranma. Nodoka tried to keep the family together, helping Kasumi with the household chores. She was convinced that this was just a training trip and that he would come back. He had to come back. Running away was unmanly. Surely Ranma wasn't unmanly. Surely he wanted to at least see his mother again.

Then Happosai came back.

Soun and Genma were delighted for once. When Ranma disappeared they told the evil master so that he could find him and drag him back to fulfill his engagement with Akane. He then hopped off and hadn't come back for an entire month. Even if he didn't find Ranma, Happosai would be gone. However, they were confused when they couldn't sense Ranma's aura. Happosai wouldn't come back without his disciple right? Genma cried out "Master, have you found that unfilial son of mine? Where is he so that I can teach him to respect his elders." Genma had missed Ranma. He had been with him for years, training with him, helping him become stronger. When he left, he took a part of Genma with him. He wanted to beat him down to teach him to never leave him again. He ... didn't know if he could handle being without Ranma again.

"Yes, I found him," Happosai simply stated as he took a puff of his pipe. Everyone ran when they heard this statement, crowding him with questions about Ranma and where he was. When Akane had enough of waiting she smashed him on the head shouting, "Just tell us where he is old man!" Happosai didn't jump at her breasts and didn't even have any underwear with him. Something was different.

"First, I have a question," he said as he took another puff after getting back up. Everyone looked at him hopefully wondering where Ranma was. "Genma," he said as everyone turned to look at him, "why did you not tell me that you taught Ranma the neko-ken?" His aura rose up as fear covered Genma's face. Happosai was a pervert, but there was no denying his power. As fury and anger turned his aura red, the pressure focused on Genma. Genma, fully aware of how terrifying his master could be, couldn't even move as he tried to stutter as response.

Happosai rose up in his full fury shouting, "YOU FOOLISH DISCIPLE!" Genma screams then filled the air.


	3. Haitus -- Sorry

I'm sorry, I will not be able to write anymore about Ranma for a little while. I am going to be going on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for 2 years, and so I will be taking a 2 year Haitus for this story. I am by no means abandoning this story, I just won't have the time to write on it for 2 years. But Chapter 3 when I come back will be about what happens when Happy's friend finds neko-Ranma. :P

Ha Ha, and another update. The 2 year Haitus will have to wait. My mission has been postponed for health reasons. So now I have at least 4 months before I have finished healing. So, I'll give you guys a treat. I've updated the first two chapters a bit, but the story flow is basically the same. I'll be getting out the 3rd chapter in the next two weeks (hopefully), so that will be good. Enjoy.


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